Events

Upcoming Events

Commemoration of 16 Days of Activism from 25 November to 10 December

The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign takes place from 25 November to 10 December every year.

Over the period government convenes a series of dialogues on violence against women and children to focus on the problem, discuss the causes and to find appropriate solutions. Through the dialogue sessions government will interact with community members who experience violence and abuse.

The dialogue sessions are rolled out across the country. South Africans from rural areas to the urban settings, formal to informal settlements, professionals to business people and young people to the old can share their personal experiences.

The dialogue sessions respond to the NDP Vision for 2030 which emphasises “building safer communities through an integrated approach”. It also responds to several outcomes identified in the MTSF (2014 – 2019).

It is important that the 16 Days Campaign is not viewed as a stand-alone event. It is another leg of the #356DaysCampaign and #CountMeIn, which aims to mobilise members of society, especially men to join hands with government against child and women abuse.

Observing Orange Day on the 25th of each month to take a stand on ending violence against women and girls.

In July 2012 the Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign proclaimed every 25th of the month as Orange Day. Initiated and led by the UNiTE campaign Global Youth Network, worldwide activities implemented on this day by UN country offices and civil society organizations strive to highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, not only once a year, on 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), but every month.

Education is a human right and a powerful tool of empowerment, and schools are important spaces in which to build respectful relationships between boys and girls. Education can arm students with the skills and knowledge to develop livelihoods and learn about their rights, and to break cycles of poverty. However, girls all over the world face violence and intimidation in, around, and on their way to and from school.
Girls experience violence at the hands of fellow students, teachers, school administrators and others.

They may face sexual harassment, bullying, cyber violence or may be asked for sexual favours in exchange for good grades or school fees. In some countries, the route to school may be unsafe. In others, girls are specifically targeted by violence simply for going to school to complete their education and for advocating for girls’ education, as was the case for education and women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot on her way home from school in Pakistan in 2012.